Author: chameleo

Getting Started as a Student:
An online guide is available to help new students get started at Virginia Tech. The guide includes information about the steps it takes to become a student (PID set up, health history documentation, registration and payment, Hokie Passport, etc) and links to a variety of campus events and services, financial resources, campus life, and more. Visit the online guide>> .

Orientation Programs:
The Graduate School hosts a new student orientation in the GLC auditorium on Friday, August 19, 9:00-11:15am. Morning refreshments will be served 8:30-9:00 in the lobby. Attendance of this session is not mandatory, but is encouraged, especially for students who do not have an orientation program within their department. We request that students who plan to attend this session register online.

We also provide a variety of information sessions and activities to help new students get started in their graduate career, including an information fair in the GLC between August 15-19. The fair features more than 50 campus and community organizations and services. 

Detailed information about the orientation and Welcome Week activities>>

If you have any questions or concerns about getting started at Virginia Tech, please contact us by phone at 540.231.9561 or by email.

Please nominate and encourage your students to do so as well.
From Internet2:

“We are pleased to announce that nominations are open for two Internet2 Gender Diversity Awards for the 2016 Internet2 Technology Exchange to be held in Miami, FL, September 25-28, 2016. The two awards are:

1. The Gender Diversity Award
2. The Gender Diversity Award in Recognition of Carrie Regenstein

You may find information regarding both of the awards at
https://www.internet2.edu/about-us/community-awards/gender-diversity-award/

Nominations (self-nominations welcome) for each of the awards are due July 29, 2016. Please pass along this information about the awards and encourage women in your organizations to apply!”

Spring 2016 final grades post Monday, May 16th. Graduate School staff will be working as quickly as possible to award the 1,216 pending degrees and certificates for spring by July 1st. We award in first come, first served order as all our graduates are needing their degrees conferred for employment or further graduate study.

Once a degree is awarded, the student can get a .pdf Letter of Completion through their Graduate Student Degree Menu in HokieSpa.

Transcripts can be ordered now through the Registrar’s Office webpage and marked as “Degree Completion” hold. The transcript will print the business day after the degree is awarded. http://www.registrar.vt.edu/academic_records/transcripts/index.html

Diplomas will be ordered weekly throughout the entire summer. It takes approximately 10 business days for the diplomas to be printed and shipped after the order date. The diplomas ship directly to the student from the diploma company in Utah.

Starting Monday, May 16, the Graduate School’s Blacksburg offices in the GLC will operate with summer hours, opening at 9:00am each day and closing at 4:00pm. The summer schedule will be in effect through Friday, Jul 29. Regular business hours (8-5) will resume on Aug 1. When the Graduate School is open but the GLC is closed, visitors may access Graduate School offices through the entrance door facing Squires Student Center.

Immigration walk-in advising hours in the summer are MWF 1-4pm, TTh 9am-12pm in 120 GLC.

The Graduate Life Center remains accessible 24/7 to all graduate students with a valid Hokie Passport. A secure drop box is available for form submissions immediately outside GLC 120.

The Graduate School invites all faculty who work with graduate students to this panel discussion and open dialogue about how to balance research and scholarship with mentoring graduate students and be successful at both. Panelists include invited guest Dr. Squire Booker, and Virginia Tech faculty Dr. Paul Deck (CHEM), Dr. Birgit Scharf (BIOL), Dr. Elizabeth Creamer (EDRE), Dr. Rakesh Kapania (AOE).

The program will begin with introductory comments from the faculty panel, and will include a period of Q& A and discussion among attendees. Light refreshments will be served.

Online registration is requested but not required. If interested in participating by Webex, email to Monika Gibson with your name and contact information.

This event is co-sponsored by the Graduate School and the Biochemistry Department to encourage constructive dialogue about graduate advising and mentoring practices. Contact Monika Gibson with any questions (231-9564).

The slides presented at the Removing the Mystery of the ETD Review presentation during Graduate Education Week 2016 are now available on our Degree Completion and Commencement website. Questions regarding this presentation should be directed to Graduate Admission and Academic Progress staff at grads@vt.edu, 540-231-8636 or visit 120 Graduate Life Center.

Graduate students and members of the Virginia Tech community are invited to participate in Graduate Education Week events from March 21 through March 25. Workshops, luncheons, award ceremonies, research symposium, student photo and art display, and a variety of other events mark the 156th annual Graduate Education Week.

For a full description and schedule of events, visit our GEW 2016 website.

Sponsored by the Graduate School and supported by departments across the university, Graduate Education Week (GEW) is celebrated annually during the last full week of March to:

• highlight the importance of graduate education
• increase the university community’s awareness of the contributions of graduate students to teaching, research and service
• and enhance the graduate student experience through personal and professional development programs and social and celebratory events.

I’d like to make the graduate community aware that we will be migrating two services before the end of February. These migrations will require the systems to be unavailable for a short time. We are currently assessing the migration process to estimate the time it will require. Once we have a solid migration time estimate, we will share with you when, and for how long, that maintenance window will be. We understand that it’s preferred to never have a service down for maintenance, or any other reason, and appreciate your patience and understanding.

Services Effected: Graduate Application System (GSAPP): This is the service used by applicants to apply to graduate programs and you use to review and evaluate applicants. After the migration to new hardware, the service will also have a new link. If you have any direct links to this service, please check now to ensure those links are: https://applyto.graduateschool.vt.edu/

Electronic Signature System (ESS): You may know this service by other names such as: Grad Exam, Electronic Submission System, ETD upload, or others. This is the service that currently functions to schedule and administer Prelim and Final exams as well as submission and approval of ETDs. This service is used by academic faculty, students and Graduate School employees. After the migration to new hardware, the service will also have a new link. If you have any direct links to this service, please check now to ensure those links are: https://ess.graduateschool.vt.edu/

Jeremy Sippel
Director, IT
Graduate School, Virginia Tech

The Graduate School invites nominations for the following student awards: 

•   Outstanding Dissertation– two awards, one in math/science/engineering and one in social sciences/business/humanities, $1000

•   Graduate Student Teaching Excellence- two awards, one for GTA instructor of record and one for GTA who assists instructor of record, $1000

•   Graduate Student Service Excellence– $1000

•   Graduate Student of the Year– up to three awards, $500

•   Outstanding Interdisciplinary Program Student– $500

•   Outstanding Graduate Student– one master’s and one doctoral student per      college, $500

Nominations and notifications of college selections of outstanding master’s and doctoral students are due by February 1, 2016 at 5 pm. 

Email questions to grads@vt.edu or call 231-4558.

Getting Started as a Student:
An online guide is available for new students to help them get started. The guide includes information about the steps it takes to become a student (PID set up, health history documentation, registration and payment, Hokie Passport, etc) and links to a variety of campus events and services, financial resources, campus life, and more.

Orientation Programs:
The Graduate School hosts a new student orientation in the GLC Multipurpose Room on Friday, January 15, 2:00pm. Attendance of this session is not mandatory, but is encouraged, especially for students who do not have an orientation program within their department.

If you have any questions or concerns about getting started at Virginia Tech, please contact us by phone at 540.231.9561 or by email.